The Putnam County baseball team has several holes to fill due to graduation, but coach Chris Newsome said the Panthers have veteran players to lead and newcomers ready to fill in.
“We have a good nucleus of returning players from last year,” Newsome said. “While we have some voids left by graduating seniors from last year, we have an eager core of juniors looking to step in and make an impact. Our seniors are very baseball savvy and are good at sharing their knowledge of the game with our younger players.”
The Panthers return NewsTribune All-Area players in seniors Johnathon Stunkel and Traxton Mattingly, while juniors Jacob Furar and Kade Zimmerlein and sophomore Maddox Poole also return with experience.
Juniors Peyton Barto, Carter Hochstatter, Wyatt Zellers, Dan Siegmann and Rudy Villagomez, sophomore Tyson Zuniga and freshmen Eli King and Callen Wiesbrock are newcomers looking to make an impact.
Putnam County is most experienced on the mound with about 75% of its innings back from last season.
Stunkel was 5-4 with a 0.89 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 62⅔ innings last spring, while Zimmerlein (4-1, 3.94 ERA), Furar (1-2, one save, 3.75 ERA) and Mattingly (2-2, one save, 4.24 ERA) also have experience on the mound.
“I feel like our returners should be able to keep us in most games this year by limiting the free passes and inducing soft contact,” Newsome said.
The Panthers’ defensive alignment will depend on who is on the mound.
Barto and Wiesbrock will play catcher, Mattingly and Zellers can play first base, Furar, King and Zuniga are vying for time at second base, Poole and Stunkel can play shortstop, Zimmerlein and Mattingly will man third base, Hochstatter, Siegmann, Stunkel, Furar and Villagomez will play outfield.
“With limited depth, our defensive lineup could look quite different depending on who is pitching,” Newsome said.
Stunkel will also lead the offense after leading the area in home runs (five) and doubles (17) last season. He also hit .407 with 36 runs and 17 RBIs.
Mattingly (.360, 11 2B, 36 R, 27 RBI), Poole (.233, 18 R, 15 RBI) and Zimmerlein (.284, 17 R, 18 RBI) also will be key contributors on offense.
“There are many unknowns, especially with our newcomers,” Newsome said. “We have more team speed this year, which will help us put more pressure on the defense.”
The Panthers hope to improve throughout the season to advance in the postseason after going 19-13 overall and losing in a regional final last spring.
“(Our goals are to) be hard working, process-focused and competitive every time we take the field,” Newsome said. “At the end of the season, we’d like to be in a position to have a postseason run.”